Advanced age impacts surgical characteristics and postoperative course in patients with Crohn's disease

• Major complications are increased in patients older than 50 years.
• Anastomotic leaks are more frequent in patients older than 50 years.
• Abscess formation and penetrating disease are more common in younger patients.

PurposeDue to a lack of data, the present study was designed to assess the impact of advanced age on surgical characteristics and short-term outcome of patients operated on for symptomatic Crohn's disease.MethodsWe enrolled 454 consecutive Crohn's disease patients, who underwent intestinal resection at an academic tertiary referral center between 1997 and 2012. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to their age (group I: <30 years, group II: 30–50 years, group III: >50 years) and analyzed retrospectively.ResultsAltogether, 152 (33.5%) patients were included in group I, 234 (51.5%) in group II and 68 (15.0%) in group III. Abscess formation and penetrating disease were significantly more common in younger patients (p = 0.0014 and p = 0.0182). The number of intestinal resections was higher in older patients (p < 0.0001), whereas the laparoscopic approach was more frequently observed in younger adults (p = 0.0006).Group II (n = 58 (24.8%)) and group III (n = 15 (22.1%)) showed significantly more complications compared to group I (n = 20 (13.2%)) (p = 0.0346). Notably, major complications and anastomotic leaks were significantly higher in older patients (p = 0.0004).ConclusionCrohn's disease patients of advanced age show different surgical characteristics compared to younger patients and are at an increased risk of developing postoperative complications.